Most parents of multiples agree that each year with twins become exponentially easier. I can personally attest to that fact now that my twins are two years old.

I once met a mother of twins who was an anomaly. She told me that things only get harder with time. I wanted to ask her, “Why would you tell a sleep-deprived, new mother of twins that?” Now that Faith and Hope are two, I can confidently and vehemently refute her claim. It’s true that every stage in a child’s life brings new parenting challenges. But there is no physical challenge like parenting newborn multiples. Things DO get easier with time!

As children mature, they naturally become more independent and easier to care for. Faith and Hope can now obey instructions. They can express their needs and wants in words rather than just crying or throwing a fit. They have learned to feed themselves, sleep through the night, play together, and attend to family activities such as reading, crafts, interactive games, and outdoor play. My husband, Chris, and I both admit we are now on Easy Street (or at least Easier Street!).

In addition to the increase in parental sleep and the sheer reduction in baby-care duties, there are more “twin moments” with each passing year. Faith and Hope now ask to kiss each other good-night. They hug each other and say, “I love you.” They also like to walk holding each other’s hand.

These are the twin interactions that every parent of multiples dreams about. They are the stuff from which precious, smile-inducing photos are made. Memories of parenting duties fade in the light of these priceless moments. If you are an expectant or new parent of multiples, you have an amazing future ahead of you!

There’s no question about it—caring for twins is hard work. In addition to the physical demands, there are unique challenges that you simply don’t encounter with singletons, like how to identify similar-looking twins, how to feed two hungry babies at the same time, and how to calm two crying babies at once.

That being said, there are many ways to make parenting tasks easier and fun to do. In Twins 101, I provide parents with advice on how to make the daily duties of caring for twins highly enjoyable and less challenging. People often ask me which of the fifty tips in Twins 101 is the most important one for new parents of multiples. Without hesitation, I would say Tip #43, which encourages new mothers of multiples to accept all the help they can get.

Caring for twin babies is an incredibly joyous and rewarding experience, but it can also be physically demanding. I encourage mothers of multiples to accept all offers of help from people they trust. Even a short break to take a nap can have profound, positive effects on a parent’s physical and emotional sense of well-being. If parents don’t want others to directly care for their babies, they can still ask willing volunteers for assistance with preparing meals or completing household chores.

One the best things about asking for help is the lifelong affection and bond that develops between you, your babies, and others as a result. As a mother of twins, I am extremely grateful for all the friends and family that have played such a major role in our lives.

Faith and Hope were born at 33 weeks and both initially required care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Ironically Hope, the smaller twin that we worried about throughout the pregnancy, turned out to have no major problems. She stayed in the NICU mainly to learn to feed and to grow. Faith, on the other hand, initially required the help of a ventilator to breathe. After a rocky start, Faith eventually came off the ventilator and both babies were able to go home after 3 weeks.

Not every set of twins will require care in the NICU. However, because the average gestational age for twins is 35 weeks (and even less for high order multiples), many multiples do make a pit stop in the NICU before going home.

The NICU is a high-tech hospital unit with doctors, nurses, and medical staff who specialize in caring for sick and premature newborn babies. It’s normal for parents to initially feel a sense of powerlessness in the NICU. After months of being the sole provider and lifeline for their babies, mothers may feel helpless in a setting where babies are cared for by medical staff twenty-four hours a day.

It’s very important for families with babies in the NICU to know that they remain a vital part of their babies’ care. In fact, they are the most important members of the medical team. There are tasks that they can perform that no one else can. In Twins 101, I outline a number of important things parents can do to remain actively involved in their babies’ care. Here are a few:

1. Visit them whenever you can. Remember that your babies know your voice from the time they spent with you in the womb. Even if they are too sick to hold, you can gently hold their hand and softly speak to them. Let them know you are there and love them.
2. Pump breast milk. Breast milk is the perfect food source for babies and should be used if at all possible. Especially in the first days after birth, breast milk is rich in antibodies—proteins that help babies ward off infection. These antibodies are not available in formula.
3. Educate yourself.Use this time to ask questions and to read up on caring for your babies at home.
4. Ask to help.Ask your bedside nurse how you can help care for your babies. Your nurse will engage you in their care through activities such as feeding and changing them.
5. Make something. If you crochet or knit, you can make your babies blankets, booties, or hats. You can write them a card expressing your love, create a photo collage of your family, or sew them a quilt to put over their incubator. Put your energies into making something for your babies. It will serve as a wonderful keepsake for them in the future—a reminder of your outpouring of love for them through a challenging time in their lives.

[The tips in this blog entry were excerpted from Twins 101: 50 Must-Have Tips for Pregnancy through Early Childhood from Doctor M.O.M., by Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin, M.D. Copyright © 2009 by Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]

No two pregnancies are alike. This is especially true for pregnancy with twins.

During my pregnancy with Faith and Hope, I experienced a number of pregnancy complications. I had vaginal bleeding and pregnancy-associated diabetes. In my third trimester, I was forced to go on bed rest due to a shortening cervix (a risk factor for preterm labor) and poor fetal growth (Hope was not growing well). I was later hospitalized for preterm labor, and Faith and Hope arrived early at 33 weeks.

Contrast that with a friend’s experience as a mother of twins. She worked close to the end of her pregnancy and delivered her twins full-term. My friend and her babies went home after a few days in the hospital.

Today, we are both thankful parents of healthy twins.

There are two reasons why I like to share about my pregnancy:

1. It’s important for parents to know that twin pregnancies can be associated with a greater risk of complications. While many twin pregnancies progress without any difficulties, it’s vital that expectant mothers of multiples appropriately seek the involvement of a perinatologist (a specialist in high-risk pregnancies) and read as much as they can on twins. Knowledge is power—both on the part of doctors and parents.
2. I want parents to know that even the most complicated pregnancies can have a positive outcome. Medical technology has advanced so much in the past few decades (see article at TwinsDoctor.com for more information about this). Doctors have more experience in caring for twins now than at any other time in history. I hope my story will give parents a reason for hope should they experience a difficult pregnancy.

Throughout history, twins have always attracted a certain degree of attention and curiosity. Recently, high profile Hollywood mothers of multiples, like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez, have catapulted public interest in twins to a whole new level.

People often ask me what it’s like to be a mother to twins. In this five part series, I will share my own twin story as well as some tips from my book, Twins 101: 50 Must-Have Tips for Pregnancy through Early Childhood from Doctor M.O.M.

So how did it all begin?

Every mother of twins experiences what I call “the moment.” It’s the instant when they discover they are pregnant with twins. For a long surreal pause, you wonder if what you have just heard is true. Then when you realize that you truly are going to be a mother to twins, you are at once shocked and elated (and then shocked some more!). You know your life will never be the same.

My “moment” came early in my pregnancy. Seven weeks pregnant and spotting, I went to the doctor’s for an evaluation. Fearful that I was having a miscarriage, I held my breath as my doctor used ultrasound to search for a beating heart. Before I knew it, we were both stunned by two beating hearts on the screen. Twins! I couldn’t believe it!

The news of twins remains one of the most memorable moments in my life. I remember feeling a mix of emotions. There was fear that the pregnancy would be complicated and that I would lose the babies I had already fallen in love with. There was perplexity about what mothering twins would entail. But above all, there was indescribable joy and love for the babies growing inside me.

I have spoken with many mothers of multiples and they tell me they experienced the same mix of emotions. Two things I would recommend for expectant parents are to keep a pregnancy journal and to read as much as possible about twins. Both will prepare parents on a practical and emotional level for the wonderful journey they have ahead in parenting twins.